AAJ Review: John McLaughlin and The Fourth Dimension, The Boston Record

[jkelman]

My review of John McLaughlin and The Fourth Dimension's The Boston Record, today at All About Jazz.

Ever since guitarist John McLaughlin formed the 4th Dimension—his first electric fusion band in a decade—fans have been hoping he'd dig a little further into his back catalog. The wait is over with The Boston Record, a live album recorded in 2013 at Boston's Berklee College of Music.

This isn't 4th Dimension's first live album, though it is the first to feature the seven year-old group's current configuration. Ranjit Barot, first heard with McLaughlin on Floating Point (Abstract Logix, 2009), replaced drummer Mark Mondesir on Now Here This (Abstract Logix, 2013), and is as outrageously virtuosic as ever; the equally impressive bassist Etienne Mbappe is back too, as is serious double-threat keyboardist/drummer Gary Husband—the only other remaining member of 4th Dimension's inaugural lineup and clearly an increasingly important musical collaborator.

Continue reading here...

[trondis23]

Thank you for the review, it's thorough as always.

I have also just received the album. And I agree that it is a great album. But I wonder why his live set in 2013 is almost the same as in 2008, and why there are so few tracks from his two studio albums with The 4th Dimension. There are none from "To the One", and only two from "Now Here This". I really dig these studio albums, so I would have liked to hear live versions of pieces from there. I also like that he goes back in time and reinterpret old pieces. On this album he even goes back as far as to The Inner Mounting Flame. But he has released three live albums before where 50 % or more are the same pieces - Official Bootleg, Official Pirate (both now vanished, they were only CD-R or mp3 downloads), plus the Live in Belgrade DVD.

[jkelman]

Thank you for the review, it's thorough as always.

I have also just received the album. And I agree that it is a great album. But I wonder why his live set in 2013 is almost the same as in 2008, and why there are so few tracks from his two studio albums with The 4th Dimension. There are none from "To the One", and only two from "Now Here This". I really dig these studio albums, so I would have liked to hear live versions of pieces from there. I also like that he goes back in time and reinterpret old pieces. On this album he even goes back as far as to The Inner Mounting Flame. But he has released three live albums before where 50 % or more are the same pieces - Official Bootleg, Official Pirate (both now vanished, they were only CD-R or mp3 downloads), plus the Live in Belgrade DVD.

Those other lives were really meant as limited. But the addition of two lengthy pieces from Now Here This (perhaps nothing from To the One because Barot was not on it?), a much reduced (under three mins, more a segue) "Senor C.S." and the addition of Little Miss Valley plus You Know You Know makes this significantly different.

Yes, they continue to open with Raju but, as I said, with McLaughlin opting for a much dirtier tone, it's still a fresh way to start.

I also suspect, because they all live in different places - as was the case with the 2007 NA tour, where they only rehearsed in Raleigh for 2 days (I was there) - I doubt they get much rehearsal time, so given the complexity of the material, adding two or three new pieces to a set is a lot.

Thanks, as ever, for the kind words about the writing. "Thorough" is what I aim to be

[mozo-pg]

You are definitely the busiest music reviewer in Ottawa (and beyond). I get tired just reading them but can't imagine produce them all.

[profusion]

Was this the entire set played at Berklee? The show they played at the Howard Theatre here in Washington DC on the same tour was two hours long and featured some interesting choices, like covering BOTH "A Love Supreme" and "The Creator Has A Master Plan." I wish they had released a double CD feature the longer setlist.

Regardless, this is an auto-buy for me. I have a couple of boots from this tour and would love a properly mixed album from it.

[jkelman]

You are definitely the busiest music reviewer in Ottawa (and beyond). I get tired just reading them but can't imagine produce them all.

For me, since I no longer play, it brings me the same pleasure, and truthfully, u approach it th same way...listen a lot until I know the music really well, and then just sit down and start typing. A typical 500 word review from start to finish takes 2-3 hours. I've become pretty good at getting the first draft within 199 words or so of target, so the it's just a matter if tightening up.

I'm nowhere near as busy as when I was getting started...though it' say illusion because I'm usually working on other things (liners, trips, etc) when not writing reviews.

What can I say! I love what I do!

[jkelman]

Was this the entire set played at Berklee? The show they played at the Howard Theatre here in Washington DC on the same tour was two hours long and featured some interesting choices, like covering BOTH "A Love Supreme" and "The Creator Has A Master Plan." I wish they had released a double CD feature the longer setlist.

Regardless, this is an auto-buy for me. I have a couple of boots from this tour and would love a properly mixed album from it.

I don't know if it was the whole set. I somehow doubt it, but who knows why they chose to release a single disc than a full double disc set of the whole show? I suspect economics plays a part, as it does for so many now that sales aren't what thy used to be. No, it' snot a lot more to produce a double-disc set, but when you're looking at where the break-even point is, that can quickly change a release from a double down to a single.

This is, of course, just conjecture on my part and should not he taken for anything else....

Irrespective, when if you have the earlier live albums, this beats the sh&t outta both of them; Etienne is a far more balanced bassist than a Hadrien was (he was just too young at the time, I think), and Ranjut's time is more solid than Mark's, as much as I enjoyed Mark's playing. So my opinion is this is the best incarnation of 4th Dimension (and Garynjust keeps getting better and better), and with McLaughlin returning to a grittier tone, this is a much more ballsy record than either previous live CDs/downloads...or the DVD for that matter.

[trondis23]

I found the following track list somewhere, but I'm not sure if it is accurate:

01. Raju (Floating Point)
02. Little Miss Valley (Tokyo Live)
03. Abbaji (Floating Point)
04. Echoes From Then (Now Here This)
05. Senor CS (Industrial Zen)
06. Call And Answer (Now Here This)
07. The Light At The Edge Of The World (Pharaoh Sanders, played with Santana)
08. Sully (Gary Husband tune, also on the Live in Belgrade DVD)
09. The Creator Has A Master Plan (Pharaoh Sanders, on Live at Montreux 2011, with Carlos Santana)
10. Hijacked (Que Alegría)
11. Maharina (Floating Point)
12. Mother Tongues (Live at the Royal Festival Hall)
13. You Know You Know (The Inner Mounting Flame)

[profusion]

So my opinion is this is the best incarnation of 4th Dimension...

I completely agree, and I've seen all the lineups in concert. Ranjit Barot is the key reason why this new lineup is so great, though. He's really kicked the band into high gear.

I do sometimes wish that John would add another top-line instrument and make it a five-piece. Adding a violinist would probably invite Mahavishnu comparisons that he doesn't want, but a sax player might be a nice addition. Guess he'd have to change the band name, though.

[rickawakeman]

My wife and I attended this show at Berklee and iirc it was a pretty long show...

[jkelman]

I completely agree, and I've seen all the lineups in concert. Ranjit Barot is the key reason why this new lineup is so great, though. He's really kicked the band into high gear.

I do sometimes wish that John would add another top-line instrument and make it a five-piece. Adding a violinist would probably invite Mahavishnu comparisons that he doesn't want, but a sax player might be a nice addition. Guess he'd have to change the band name, though.

I really loved the Heart of Things band from the late '90s, with saxophonist Gary Thomas, keyboardist Jim Beard, bassist Matthew Garrison and drummer Dennis Chambers. The studio record was good; Live in Paris and the live show in John's Montreux box are absolutely astounding.

So yeah, I can see why another front line member could be attractive....but I think (having spent time on the road with the group in 2007), he likes the idea of keeping it lean and mean...and as much as Ranjit has lit a fire under the group, I think this regular work with someone at the level of McLaughlin has allowed Gary Husband to grow as a keyboardist in massive leaps and bounds. Every time I hear him I am astonished at just how good he's become, seemingly so rapidly.

If you've not heard the duo record Gary released on Abstract Logix at the beginning of this year with guitarist Alex Machacek, you should; a very different context for Alex (another of my absolutely favorite players and composers). The album is called Now, and I would recommend it without hesitation.